Method of repairing a seal



p 8, 1964 'r. w. CONNORS, sR.. ETAL 3,

METHOD OF REPAIRING A SEAL Original Filed Dec. 9, 1960 E1 2 2 r? A llr 5/ ugh B WW, ZMMW United States Patent 3,147,544 METHOD OF REPAIRING A SEAL Thomas W. Connors, Sin, Sturgis, Mich, and Howard J. Blonde, RR. 1, White Pigeon Township, St. Joseph County, Mich.; said Connors assignor to said Blonde Original application Dec. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 74,986, now Patent No. 3,096,573, dated July 9, 1963. Divided and this application July 9, 1962, Ser. No. 219,090 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-401) This invention relates in general to a method for repairing a seal and, more particularly, for reducing the spacing between an elongated sealing member and the surface with which said sealing member is intended to effect a sealing engagement without removing the sealing member from its position adjacent said surface and without damaging or distorting the sealing face on said sealing member. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 74,986, filed December 9, 1960, now Patent No. 3,096,573, granted July 9, 1963.

Relatively compressible sealing members have long been used between two relatively hard surfaces which are relatively movable in the planes of said surfaces to prevent the leakage of fluids between said surfaces. By way of example, it has been common practice for many years to use arcuate, relatively compressible sealing members between the peripheral surface of a rotatable shaft and a journal box or other wall structure through which the shaft extends. More specifically, and also for example, a shaft seal of this type is presently used around the end portion of a crankshaft, which extends through the wall of the engine block, for the purpose of preventing the escape of lubricating oil from the crankcase along said shaft. Thus, reference will be made herein to the use and operation of the invention in connection with the repair of a crankshaft seal, because it was from the problem of repairing such a seal that this invention developed. However, it will be recognized that the invention can be adapted to many other uses and, therefore, specific reference herein to a particular use of the invention is intended to be for illustrative purposes only.

Much time, effort and expense have been devoted to the development of a simple, leak-proof seal for a crankshaft. Nevertheless, it is still common practice to place arcuate sealing members, which are fabricated from a fibrous material, around that portion of the crankshaft which extends through the engine block. During normal operation of the engine over a period of time, wear and vibration will eventually create a space between the periphery of the shaft and the adjacent portion of the shaft seal so that undesirable amounts of oil will move along the crankshaft past the seal and thereby leak out of the engine. This leakage sometimes results in damage to the engine, due to the loss of oil. Moreover, such leakage also increases the cost of operating the engine and creates a messy condition on the ground or floor where the engine is operated or, in the case of the automobile engine, where the vehicle is parked.

In many existing automotive engines, the crankshaft seal is comprised of two semicircular sealing members, one of which embraces the upper side of the crankshaft and the other of which embraces the lower side. In one common arrangement, the upper sealing member is disposed in an arcuate groove in the wall of the engine block and the lower sealing member is disposed in an arcuate groove in a seal retainer which is removably supported upon the engine block. If a leak develops in the bottom segment of the seal, the oil pan and a retainer for the lower segment are removed fromthe engine block. The lower sealing member is removed and replaced, after which the parts are reassembled, which is a relatively 3,147,544 Patented Sept. 8, 1964 simple, hence inexpensive, operation. However, if the leak develops in the upper segment of the shaft seal, then the repair of the leak according to existing procedures is difiicult and costly. More specifically, the repair of the upper sealing member necessitates the raising of the engine block and the removal of the crankshaft from the block.

Many unsuccessful efforts have been made in the past to devise a method for removing and replacing the upper sealing member while the crankshaft and the engine block are in their normal relative positions. However, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to insert or otherwise move a compressible sealing element along, and into position between, two rigid and closely spaced surfaces without destroying the effectiveness of the seal. During the insertion of the sealing member under these conditions, the sealing surface thereof becomes distorted, if not damaged, so that it may leak as bad as, and some times worse than, the seal which is being replaced. Thus, experienced mechanics recommend the separation of the two, arcuate surfaces so that the new seal can be properly positioned first with respect to the one of said surfaces which holds the seal and thereafter properly seated against the other surface. In view of the costliness of this work, engines are frequently permitted to operate long after the upper seal segment of the crankshaft seal has been found to be leaking badly, thereby creating the above-mentioned problems of engine damage and costly operation.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has been the provision of a method whereby the spacing between an elongated sealing memberand the sealing surface with which it is intended to be engaged can be reduced by inserting between the sealing member and the structure supporting same an elongated element of a uniform predetermined thickness, which causes said sealing member to be moved snugly against the sealing surface.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of a method, as aforesaid, whereby an arcuate sealing member, such as the sealing members which encircle a crankshaft where it passes through an engine block, can be repaired after a leak occurs therein by inserting an elongated fiat element of uniform thickness into the groove in the engine block in which the sealing member is disposed.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following descriptive material and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of an automotive engine with which and to which the invention can be applied.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded sectional view substantially as taken along the line II-II in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along the line III-III in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IVIV in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of an apparatus for practicing the method of the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a broken sectional view taken along the line VIIVII in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIIIVIII in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view similar to that shown in FIGURE 8 and disclosing an alternate structure.

For the purpose of convenience in description, the terms upper, lower, and terms of similar import will have reference to the structure with which the invention is utilized as appearing in FIGURES 1 and 2. The terms 3 inner, outer and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of the apparatus of the invention as appearing in FIGURE 6. The terms front and rear, and derivatives thereof will have reference to the right and left ends, respectively, of the engine 11) and parts thereof as appearing in FIGURE 1.

General Description The apparatus of the invention, one form of which is disclosed herein for the purpose of illustrating the method of the invention, includes an elongated, rigid guide member having a pair of elongated openings extending lengthwise therethrough, said openings being in continuous communication with each other throughout the lengths thereof. An elongated repair element is slidably and snugly received into and through one of said openings, and an elongated driving member is slidably and snugly receivable into and through the other of said openings for engaging an end of the repair element and moving same through and out of the guide member.

By using the above-described device, the repair element can be caused to move between one side of an elongated sealing member and the adjacent surface of the structure supporting said sealing member whereby the opposite side of the sealing member is urged toward the surface With which the sealing member is intended to be in sealing engagement.

Detailed Construction The objects andpurpos-es of the invention, including those set forth above, have been met by providing an apparatus which is capable of carrying out the method of the invention. Accordingly, it is believed that the method of the invention can be best illustrated by a full disclosure of said apparatus and its operation in a particular set of circumstances.

The automotive engine (FIGURES 1 and 2), which has been selected to illustrate the use of a particular embodiment of the invention, includes a block 11, a crankshaft 12 in the block and an oil pan 13 secured to the block 11 by means of the bolts 14. The rear wall 18 of the engine block 11 has a recess 15 in its lower edge, the upper or inner wall of said recess including a semicircular portion 16. The rearward end 17 (FIGURE 2) of the crankshaft 12 extends through the recess 15 in the rear wall 18 where it is snugly embraced and encircled by two semicircular sealing members 22 and 23, which may be fabricated from a relatively compressible fibrous material of any conventional type.

The upper sealing member 22 (FIGURE 4) is disposed within an arcuate groove 24 in the semicircular portion 16 of the end wall 18 adjacent the end 17 of the shaft 12. The lower end of the recess 15 in the rear wall 18 of the block 11 is closed by a removable seal retainer 27, which has an arcuate, concave surface 28 at its upper end. The sealing member 23 is snugly received into an arcuate groove 26 in the surface 28 of the seal retainer 27. The seal retainer 27 is removably held within the recess 15, and substantially within the plane defined by the rear wall 18, by means of a pair of bolts 29 and 29a, which slidably extend through parallel, smooth bore openings 32 and 32a, respectively, in said seal retainer 27 for threaded reception into the threaded openings 33 and 33a, respectively, in the rear wall 18 (FIGURE 4).

The seal retainer 27 has a pair of grooves 36 and 37 (FIGURE 3) in the opposite ends thereof for reception of the sealing members 38 and 39 which are snugly engageable with the side walls 42 and 43 of the recess 15. The grooves 24, 26, 36 and 37 all have side Walls which, in this embodiment diverge toward the open side of the groove. However, other arrangements of said side walls are contemplated.

The above-described structure of the engine 10, including the block 11, crankshaft 12, sealing members 22 and Z3, and seal retainer 27 are substantially conventional and may be found, at least in substance, in many existing engines. The apparatus 50 of the invention (FIGURE 6), whereby the method of the invention can be practiced, is comprised of an elongated substantially rigid guide member 51 which may be fabricated from metal, plastic or any other suitably rigid material. The guide member 51 has a pair of elongated guide openings 52 and 53 (FIG- URE 8) which extend lengthwise through the guide member 51 and which, in this particular arrangement, intersect each other transversely of the guide member 51 to form a cross. In the panticular embodiment disclosed in FIGURES 6 and 8, the guide opening 52 is shaped so that it slidably receives and snugly embraces an elongated, flat and relatively thin spacing element 54, which has a selected, uniform thickness. The guide opening 53 is shaped so that it slid-ably receives and snugly embraces a drive member 56 which is relatively rigid and noncompressible. One end of the spacing element 54, which is preferably fabricated from a noncompressible and flexible material such as metal or plastic, is engageable within the guide member 51 by an adjacent end of the drive member 56 for the purpose of urging said spacing element 54 through and out of one end of the guide member 51.

Where the spacing element 54 is to be used within a groove 24 beneath a sealing member 22, the spacing element 54 is preferably of substantially the same length and width as the bottom wall 57 of the groove 24. Moreover, the thickness of the spacing element 54 will be approximately equal to the amount of movement required by the sealing member 22 toward the crankshaft 12 to effect a proper sealing engagement with the end 17 thereof.

It will be recognized, as shown in FIGURE 9 with respect to the alternate guide member 61, that guide openings 62 and 63 may be of diiferent sizes and shapes than those shown in FIGURE 8, if desired or required for a particular utilization. The guide opening 62, for example, has a wedge-shaped cross section for receiving a spacing element 64 which tapers from one lengthwise edge toward the other. Moreover, it will be recognized that, whereas the snug reception of the spacing element 54 into the guide opening 52 is desirable, the apparatus 50 can be used effectively where the spacing element 54 has a slightly smaller cross-sectional size than the guide opening 52 therefor.

Operation Referring to the engine 10, which has been disclosed herein for illustrative purposes, a leaking shaft seal around the crankshaft 12 can be quickly and easily repaired by means of the applicants invention in the following manner. After dropping the oil pan 13, and removing the seal retainer 27, as shown in FIGURE 2, a spacing element 54 of the proper size is inserted into the guide opening 52 within the guide member 51. The end of the guide member 51, through which the spacing element 54 projects, is placed adjacent to one circumferential end of the groove 24 so that the portion of the spacing element 54 extending from the guide member 51 can be inserted into the groove 24 between said bottom Wall 57 thereof and the adjaoent side of the sealing member 22. The lower end of the drive member, which projects downwardly from the guide member 51 is urged upwardly, whereby the spacing element 54 is urged out of the guide member 51 and along the bottom wall 57 of the groove 24.

Because the spacing element 54 is flexible, it follows along the bottom wall 57 and thereby urges the sealing member 22 outwardly from said bottom wall 57 toward, and into snug engagement with, the crankshaft 12. This operation, which is terminated when the spacing element 54 is completely discharged from the guide opening 5 can be accomplished in a few seconds. Moreover, the sealing member 22 is moved back into sealing engagement with the shaft 12, whereby the seal is repaired, without distorting, damaging or disturbing the surface of the sealing member adjacent the crankshaft 12. Thus, the original sealing qualities of said sealing member 22 are preserved and the seal is as eflicient as when originally installed.

As the spacing element 54 is advanced along the arcuate groove 24, the leading end thereof will at all times tend to move toward the rigid bottom wall 57 of the groove, instead of into the relatively soft, compressible sealing member 22.

The apparatus 50 (FIGURE 7), including the guide member 51, spacing element 54 and drive member 56, can be utilized to urge a substantially straight sealing member 39 into snug engagement with the adjacent side wall 43 where leakage has developed therebetween. In such case, it may be desirable to bevel slightly the leading end of the spacing element 54a away from the adjacent sealing mem ber 39- :so that the leading end of the element 54a does not gouge into the sealing member 39. Alternately, the spacing element 54a may be arched slightly so that its concave surface faces the bottom of the groove 37 during insertion to avoid damage to the sealing member 39.

Ordinarily, the spacing element 54w will be inserted between the sealing member 39 and the bottom wall of groove 37 after, rather than before, the seal retainer 27 is returned to its position within the recess 15, thereby simplifying such return.

The sealing member 23 can be removed from the groove 26 and replaced by a new sealing member or, where desirable, a spacing element 54b (FIGURE 7) can be inserted into the groove 26 beneath the sealing member 23 in substantially the same manner set forth above with respect to the sealing member 22. Thereafter, the seal retainer 27 is bolted into position within the recess and the oil pan 13 is connected to the block 11. Thus, the repair of both sealing members can be accomplished without removing the engine block 11 from its mountings, without removing the crankshaft 12 from the block 11 and without distorting or otherwise disturbing the smooth, sealing surface on the sealing members 22, 23, 38 and 39, which are engageable with the crankshaft 12 and the side walls 42 and 43, respectively.

It follows from the above disclosure that applicants apparatus can be advantageously used to improve the sealing qualities of this type of sealing member in new installations. More specifically, a new seal can be placed into position while loosely engaging the two opposing surfaces. Thereafter, the seal can be moved into snug, sealing position against one surface by inserting a proper spacing element between the sealing member and the other surface.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above for the purposes of disclosing the method and apparatus of the invention, it will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which lie within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a method for decreasing the space between one side of a relatively compressible, elongated sealing memher, which is disposed within a seal-retaining groove, and a surface with which said side is intended to be engageable, the steps comprising:

inserting one end of an elongated, flat and relatively incompressible element, said element having a uniform cross-sectional size and shape that is of no greater width and length than the width and length of the sealing member and adapted for insertion in said groove, into one end of the groove between the bottom of said groove and the side of said sealing member opposite the surface-engaging side thereof;

supporting against deflection that portion of said flat element disposed outside of and adjacent to said groove and holding said portion in a position substantially aligned with the portion of said groove adjacent the point of insertion;

urging said flat element to move into and along said groove lengthwise thereof between the bottom of said groove and the seal-ing member substantially throughout the length thereof, whereby said sealing member is urged in a predetermined amount away from the bottom of said groove and snugly against said surface.

2. In a method for reducing the spacing between the peripheral surface of a shaft and one lengthwise side of an elongated, arcuate and compressible shaft seal disposed within a groove in an arcuate surface extending concentrically around a portion of said shaft, said lengthwise side of said seal projecting from said groove, the steps comprising:

exposing one end of the groove and the adjacent portion of the seal therein;

inserting into said end of said groove adjacent the opposite lengthwise side of said seal one end of a thin, elongated, flexible and substantially incompressible element, said flexible element having a uniform cross-sectional size and shape that is of no greater width and length than the width and length of the sealing member and adapted for insertion in said groove;

supporting against deflection that portion of said flexible element extending away from said end of said groove and holding said portion of said element against movement away from a position substantially tangent to said opposite side of said seal adjacent said end of said groove;

urging said flexible element along said groove adjacent said opposite side of said seal substantially throughout the length thereof between the bottom of said groove and the sealing member substantially throughout the length thereof, whereby said seal is urged to move sidewardly out of said groove and toward said shaft to reduce the spacing therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A METHOD FOR DECREASING THE SPACE BETWEEN ONE SIDE OF A RELATIVELY COMPRESSIBLE, ELONGATED SEALING MEMBER, WHICH IS DISPOSED WITHIN A SEAL-RETAINING GROOVE, AND A SURFACE WITH WHICH SAID SIDE IS INTENDED TO BE ENGAGEABLE, THE STEPS COMPRISING: INSERTING ONE END OF AN ELONGATED, FLAT AND RELATIVELY INCOMPRESSIBLE ELEMENT, SAID ELEMENT HAVING A UNIFORM CROSS-SECTIONAL SIZE AND SHAPE THAT IS OF NO GREATER WIDTH AND LENGTH THAN THE WIDTH AND LENGTH OF THE SEALING MEMBER AND ADAPTED FOR INSERTION IN SAID GROOVE, INTO ONE END OF THE GROOVE BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF SAID GROOVE AND THE SIDE OF SAID SEALING MEMBER OPPOSITE THE SURFACE-ENGAGING SIDE THEREOF; SUPPORTING AGAINST DEFLECTION THAT PORTION OF SAID FLAT ELEMENT DISPOSED OUTSIDE OF AND ADJACENT TO SAID GROOVE AND HOLDING SAID PORTION IN A POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED WITH THE PORTION OF SAID GROOVE ADJACENT THE POINT OF INSERTION; URGING SAID FLAT ELEMENT TO MOVE INTO AND ALONG SAID GROOVE LENGTHWISE THEREOF BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF SAID GROOVE AND THE SEALING MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHTOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF, WHEREBY SAID SEALING MEMBER IS URGED IN A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID GROOVE AND SNUGLY AGAINST SAID SURFACE. 